Rarely has a week gone by in this year’s international rugby calendar without a controversy relating to the All Blacks. Over the course of the Rugby Championship and Bledisloe Cup, we saw Steve Hansen and his team accused of disrespect by Michael Cheika after a cartoon mocking the Australian coach appeared in an Auckland newspaper; Owen Franks’ contact with the face of Kane Douglas in a maul go unpunished; TJ Perenara’s try against South Africa at Ellis Park awarded despite questions over correct grounding; and an Australian try harshly ruled out for obstruction by Nigel Owens at Eden Park. Last weekend’s test match in Dublin was compelling in its physicality, but the treatment of two reckless tackles from Sam Cane and Malakai Fekitoa has led once more to furore over World Rugby’s disciplinary process.

The emotional release which followed last Saturday’s historic victory over the All Blacks in Chicago was astounding. The atmosphere of drama, history and meaning began from the moment the Irish responded to the haka with a tribute to the late Anthony Foley – a moment that demonstrated why this still-nascent professional game must allow space for its traditions to be maintained, imbuing the game with colour and establishing a nexus with its amateur past which other sports have long since lost. It was heightened by New Zealand’s stirring fightback to 33-29 with 15 minutes remaining, and encapsulated by Jamie Heaslip sinking to his knees in a moment of introspection after shaking the hands of the opposition, contemplating the enormity of the 80 minutes which had passed.